Another chance to see the Northern Lights if you stay up late

SOME YORKSHIRE residents appear to have been lucky enough to have seen the Northern Lights last night - and they may get a chance to see it tonight.

People may get a chance to see the lights from midnight tonight and into the early hours of Friday.

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, shine over Derwentwater, near Keswick in the Lake District. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Thursday October 8, 2015. The spectacular display was seen further south than usual after a recent geomagnetic storm.

Bruce Rollinson, Yorkshire Post Newspapers photographer, was among those who snapped the amazing spectacle to the Aurora Borealis in the region’s skies.

He took a photograph over Chelker Reservoir in Addingham and Press Association took a picture in the Lake District.

William Midgley also posted on Facebook he had seen the lights near Guiseley and Otley Chevin.

Charlotte Gill (‏@charleyfarlie) also took to social media to express her delight at witnessing the wonder.

She wrote: “So happy we got to see the Aurora Borealis just north of Leeds #aurorauk #auroraborealis #NorthernLights”

Jenny Ellis ‏(@JennyEl0512) saw them in the north of the region, posting: “Northern Lights from Howgate, North Yorkshire Dales looking down Wensleydale!”

Two coinciding space weather patterns have heightened the chance of Northern Lights sightings in the sky above the UK for the next few weeks, according to forecasters.

The Met Office said those in northern England, north Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland had an increased likelihood of seeing the phenomenon, known as aurora borealis, because of a burst of solar wind.

The natural wonder, usually caused by solar particles colliding in the atmosphere, could be seen overnight, with forecasters saying the “disturbance” was strong and the sky mainly clear in northern regions.

The improved chances of a sighting were down to the combined effect of a “coronal hole” near the Sun’s equator, which had aligned with Earth and was sending high-speed solar winds to buffet the planet, and the time of year.

A Met Office spokesman said: “We are now in a period, lasting a few weeks, where these two factors are working together to increase the chances of geomagnetic disturbances, which in turn bring with them the aurora.

“The strength of the disturbance directly relates to how far south the aurora is visible, or how far north if you are in the southern hemisphere, and of course you need clear skies to see it.

“The season of the year has an influence. The science behind this is not fully understood, but the two equinoctial periods in spring and autumn tend to produce an increase in aurora compared with winter and summer.”

Did you snap the Northern Lights in Yorkshire last night? Email joanna.wardill@ypn.co.uk